Bracketology: Duke, MSU ring in December

Welcome to December!  Time for our first in-season peek at the bracket.  A lot has changed since early November.  Arizona has tumbled.  The Big Ten has fumbled.  And several new teams find their names inside the Field of 68.  What hasn’t changed?  That would be No. 1 seed positions for Duke and Michigan State.  The Blue Devils and Spartans opened as top seeds, and three weeks into their journey, they continue to hold those spots.  Kansas remains No. 3.  As the new month begins, Villanova holds the final No. 1 slot, although it was a tight decision among ‘Nova, Texas AM, and Florida.

Bracket Projection

As this juncture, we still face a lot of unknowns.  Example: Cincinnati.  I expect the Bearcats to be very good – and they’ve looked good against the likes of Coppin State, Richmond, and even Wyoming.  Tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 2) they play Xavier at the Cintas Center.  After that, the Bearcats get Florida, Mississippi State and UCLA.  We’ll have a better indication of just how good Cincy might be after that stretch.

Cautionary tale: We’ve seen plenty of fast starts before.  Early candidates in the December 1 bracket include Northern Iowa, Western Kentucky, Arizona State, Washington State, and UNLV.  That’s not a knock on any of these squads – who have earned their current positions.  Think of it more as a gentle reminder that three weeks (and no conference games) does not a season make.  Equally important … slow starts don’t necessarily bury a team.  Wisconsin and Oklahoma State both struggled early a year ago and re-earned solid positions by March.

Enjoy your upcoming weekend of college hoops and the unveiling of college football’s Final Four.